Going disco doesn't suit Sheffi eld's Long Blondes, stylish heiresses to Pulp's verité pop. Could there be a reason why DJ Erol Alkan hasn't produced many other records? Attempting to apply aerated froideur to the Blondes' guitar pop, he falters. The starkest songs - 'Round The Hairpin' and 'Too Clever By Half' - are the most engaging, but embarrassing lead single 'Century' abandons the Blondes' devastating wit for empty synth-pop cliches. The Blondes are just as guilty as Alkan, tumbling beret-fi rst into second album syndrome, all weak songs and unpolished lyrics. What on earth happened? Katie Empire

The Rolling Stones Shine a Light (Universal) £11.99

Recorded over two nights in New York in 2006 and released to accompany Martin Scorsese's film of the same performances, this live double album will split opinion. Versions of 'Brown Sugar', 'Satisfaction' and 'Sympathy for the Devil' will delight insatiable fans, but Stones dilettantes may wonder how much Shine a Light differs from the band's other numerous live recordings. Songs from dustier corners of their back catalogue and guest appearances from Jack White , Buddy Guy and Christina Aguilera pique the interest but don't dispel a sense of overkill. Ally Carnwath

Camille Music Hole (Charisma Records) £9.99

Camille Dalmais is an adventurous young Parisian singer known for her innovative use of vocals. On her second album , Le Fil , she did everything with her voice short of mimicking keyboards and the double bass. Her larynx is under even more strain on Music Hole. One moment, she's pulling off impressions of Whitney and Mariah on 'Money Note '; the next she's leading the choir on 'The Monk'. The album is so alive with ideas and vocal tics, they sometimes tangle the music up in knots, but Camille (who for the first time in her solo career is singing mostly in English ) is such a vital presence, it's hard not to be bewitched. Killian Fox

The Courteeners St Jude (A&M) £9.99

The Manchester fourpiece, NME's latest attempt at creating 'the new Oasis', are so desperate to be considered heirs to the lad-rock crown that they namecheck the Stone Roses in their lyrics. Unfortunately, this only emphasises the dearth of ideas in their debut. The 'working class saviours of rock'n'roll' template is well worn and done with little passion or charisma here; the four-piece come across as a sketch show parody. Most songs attempt to combine Libertines jangle with Arctic Monkeys social commentary, but just ape the worst aspects of both and add a slice of utterly unwarranted arrogance. Matt Bolton

Barry Adamson Back to the Cat (Central Control International) £9.99

Ambitious and prolific, this Manchester composer has cut a path through British pop. Adamson's roots may be in rock but big-band jazz and film soundtracks shape his solo work. Back to the Cat is a parade of his enthusiasms, shifting between noirish mood pieces like the opener 'Beaten Side of Town', purring orchestral jazz ('Shadow of Death Hotel', which pays homage to Jimmy Smith's 'The Cat') and strutting Sixties soul like 'Civilisation'. With lyrics that focus archly on obsessive, deviant passions, the album is a bracing, widescreen ride through the modern city. Neil Spencer

Tony Kofi Quartet The Silent Truth (Specific Jazz) £12.99

Anyone who can perform the complete compositions of Thelonious Monk in the course of one day, as Kofi memorably did at last year's London Jazz Festival, must have 'dedication' as their middle name. Kofi 's own music is impressive, too, because it is so complete: the compositions, the solidity of the quartet's sound, the pacing of the 10 numbers and, most noteworthy of all, the passion and control of his own saxophone playing, on soprano, alto and baritone. With pianist Jonathan Gee , bassist Ben Hazleton (who contribute two compositions each) and Winston Clifford on drums, this is an absorbing and enjoyable set. Dave Gelly